Abstract
This paper aims to study the effect of fibre cross-section shape on the mechanical properties of unidirectional fibre reinforced composites. First, the specific surface area of different cross-section shape is compared, and the gear-shape fibre is selected for further study, which has the largest specific surface area. The effect of gear-shape fibre with various tooth number on the transverse mechanical properties of unidirectional composites is investigated by computational micromechanics, comparing with the traditional round fibre. It is found that all the gear-shape fibre reinforced composites have higher transverse stiffness and strength than the round fibre reinforced composite, and the gear-shape fibre with fewer tooth number has greater reinforcing effect on the mechanical properties of the composite. The mechanism of this phenomenon is revealed by examine the damage initiation and evolution process of the composite, and suggestion is made on the optimal cross-section shape of the reinforcing fibre for the composites.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gusev, A.A., Hine, P.J., Ward, I.M.: Fiber packing and elastic properties of a transversely random unidirectional glass/epoxy composite. Compos. Sci. Technol. 60(4), 535–41 (2000)
Jung, S.W., Kim, S.Y., Nam, H.W., Han, K.S.: Measurements of fiber orientation and elastic-modulus analysis in short-fiber-reinforced composites. Compos. Sci. Technol. 61(1), 107–16 (2001)
Kim, T.J., Park, C.K.: Flexural and tensile strength developments of various shape carbon fiber-reinforced lightweight cementitious composites. Cement Concr Res 28(7), 955–60 (1998)
Shim, H.B., Seo, M.K., Park, S.J.: Thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of various cross-section types carbon fiber-reinforced composites. J. Mater. Sci. 37(9), 1881–5 (2002)
Park, S.J., Seo, M.K., Shim, H.B.: Effect of fiber shapes on physical characteristics of noncircular carbon fibers-reinforced composites. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 352(1–2), 34–9 (2003)
Park, S.J., Seo, M.K., Shim, H.B., Rhee, K.Y.: Effect of different cross-section types on mechanical properties of carbon fibers- reinforced cement composites. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 366(2), 348–55 (2004)
Xu, Z.W., Huang, Y.D., Liu, L., Zhang, C.H., Long, J., He, J.M., Shao, L.: Surface characteristics of kidney and circular section carbon fibers and mechanical behavior of composites. Mater. Chem. Phys. 106(1), 16–21 (2007)
Xu, Z.W., Li, J.L., Wu, X.Q., Huang, Y.D., Chen, L., Zhang, G.L.: Effect of kidney-type and circular cross sections on carbon fiber surface and composite interface. Compos. Part A 39, 301–7 (2008)
Pakravan, H.R., Jamshidi, M., Latif, M., Pacheco-Torgal, F.: Influence of acrylic fibers geometry on the mechanical performance of fiber-cement composites. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 125(4), 3050–7 (2012)
Liu, X., Wang, R.G., Wu, Z.J., Liu, W.B.: The effect of triangle-shape carbon fiber on the flexural properties of the carbon fiber reinforced plastics. Mater. Lett. 73, 21–3 (2012)
Wang, R.G., Liu, X., Liu, W.B.: The B-basis value of the shearing strength of triangle- shape carbon fibers reinforced plastics. Polym. Polym. Compos. 19(4–5), 327–32 (2011)
Wang, R.G., Liu, X., Liu, W.B., He, X.D., Yang, F.: Prediction of the transverse Young’s modulus of unidirectional triangle-section carbon fiber reinforced plastics. Int. J. Mater. Res. 103(4), 513–7 (2012)
Hunt, M.A., Saito, T., Brown, R.H., Kumbhar, A.S., Naskar, A.K.: Patterned functional carbon fibers from polyethylene. Adv. Mater. 24, 2386–9 (2012)
Barulich, N.D., Godoy, L.A., Dardati, P.M.: A computational micromechanics approach to evaluate elastic properties of composites with fiber-matrix interface damage. Compos. Struct. 154, 309–18 (2016)
Jiang, Y., Qiu, K.: Computational micromechanics analysis of toughening mechanisms of particle-reinforced bulk metallic glass composites. Mater Des. 65, 410–6 (2015)
Yang, L., Liu, X., Wu, Z.J., Wang, R.G.: Effects of triangle-shape fiber on the transverse mechanical properties of unidirectional carbon fiber reinforced plastics. Compos. Struct. 152, 617–25 (2016)
Herráez, M., González, C., Lopes, C.S., Guzmán De Villoria, R., LLorca, J., Varela, T., Sánchez, J.: Computational micromechanics evaluation of the effect of fibre shape on the transverse strength of unidirectional composites: an approach to virtual materials design. Compos. Part A (2016). doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2016.02.026
Giugliano, D., Barbera, D., Chen, H.F.: Effect of fiber cross section geometry on cyclic plastic behavior of continuous fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites. Eur J Mech A. Solids 61, 35–46 (2017)
González, C., LLorca, J.: Mechanical behavior of unidirectional fiber-reinforced polymers under transverse compression: microscopic mechanisms and modeling. Compos. Sci. Technol. 67(13), 2795–806 (2007)
Yang, L., Yan, Y., Ran, Z.G., Liu, Y.J.: A new method for generating random fibre distributions for fibre reinforced composites. Compos. Sci. Technol. 76(4), 14–20 (2013)
Yang, L., Yan, Y., Liu, Y.J., Ran, Z.G.: Microscopic failure mechanisms of fibre-reinforced polymer composites under transverse tension and compression. Compos. Sci. Technol. 72(15), 1818–25 (2012)
Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11402045), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation Funded Project (No. 2014M560204), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. DUT16LK35).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yang, L., Li, Z., Sun, T. et al. Effects of Gear-Shape Fibre on the Transverse Mechanical Properties of Unidirectional Composites: Virtual Material Design by Computational Micromechanics. Appl Compos Mater 24, 1165–1178 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-016-9580-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10443-016-9580-6